Primary elections, a waste of public funds

Dear Editor:

Today the only route to Federal and State elected office is through the support of the Republican or Democratic Party bosses at the primary election. This is the way we choose all our officials for local, state and federal office. I believe this way of choosing our representatives is a major contributing factor to gridlock in the law making bodies of our government.

Why are we holding primary elections at public expense that pay for the Republican and Democratic Party's selection of their candidates for elected positions? In fact primary elections guarantee that the candidate of either the Democratic or Republican Party and none other will be elected in the General Election. Also primary elections enable the Republican and Democratic parties stay in control of our government and this does not benefit all citizens. Consider the low number of registered citizens voting in elections. People feel there is no chance for new ideas and change and become apathetic. It seems to me that Republican and Democratic office holders are only concerned with their political careers and pensions and not first serving the interests of us who elected them to be our representatives in our government.

We the people have ourselves to blame for this waste of public funds that we pay for primary elections and results. I would propose that any political party wanting to endorse a particular person for public office should, at the political party's expense, conduct their own party conventions/elections. The party should then get the required number of signatures of qualified electors to sign their candidate's petition, and then submit their candidates petition to the election bureau and have his/her name placed on the ballot for the General Election. This would eliminate primary elections and save precious state and federal funds. What do you think, my fellow citizens?

Gerald Strubinger

Jim Thorpe